This invention generally relates to automated methods and systems for inspecting packages; and more specifically, to automated methods and systems to verify the presence of lenses in packages.
Recently, several automated systems have been developed for producing ophthalmic lenses, particularly contact lenses; and for example, one such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,839. These systems have achieved a very high degree of automation; and, for instance, the lenses may be molded, removed from the molds, further processed and packaged all without any direct human involvement. Even with these highly automated systems, however, normally after the lenses are packaged, each package is inspected by a person to verify that the package contains a lens.
This personal inspection of the lens packages represents a significant cost, and it is believed that the cost of the package inspection can be substantially reduced if the inspection is done by automated means. In addition, although these personal inspections are highly accurate, it is believed that the reliability of the package inspections could be made even more accurate by employing appropriate automated inspection means to verify the presence of lenses in the packages.